Such Is The Life

This is not a piece of prose about the abuse victim or the censored patriot, or the obvious analogy between the two, but rather the failure of the abuser who wants to silence the accuser coming back into his or her own power.   

The wounded child cries out for understanding

With all the rottenness the big people are demanding
With the touching in secret places where they don’t belong
Nothing - nowhere - no-how – it’s all just so wrong
But are they the “problem children” speaking up when others won’t?
Or are they the ones screaming for fairness when others don’t?
When silence and stifling are rewarded by the wicked ones
They can’t help but point out what these people have done
They have to fight through the dirty looks, the punishment and the yelling
Such is the result when children are standing up ... and telling
Do they get a kind word, a bended knee, a willing ear, a compassionate hug?
Or simply defensiveness, neglect and the desire to sweep it all under the rug? 
 
Such is the life for the misused, abused, the ones who are still aware
Carrying the burden and weight of the knowledge when no one else will care
Such is the life for those who speak up when others want to shut them down
As they wander lonely halls of the home, praying for an angel to come around 
Such is the life for the ones who will speak no matter how much they are shamed
Gathering even more faith in something invisible they cannot even name 
 
Similarly, so it is for those who speak to tyrants – truth to power
To those mask-wearing suits who are nothing more than spineless cowards
The wicked return, but not as the abuser but rather the accuser pointing at us
To save face, to stay in control, to remain detached, they do what they must
But once more, do we go quiet, do we just let it all fall, and stay still?
Or is there another undenied authority, emerging through divine will? 
No matter the source, we are true to course, and take the slings and arrows
As the path before us, and the evil, narrows and narrows and narrows
Until there is a single way – one of peace, love, unity and light
We can rest assured – we were faithful – we fought the good fight
 
Such is the life – we have made the choice to live for the good of all 
Knowing that it is possible to return to the garden after the fall
The fake leaders? They will go their way, and fade away, learning what they must
We release their strategy of trying to divide and conquer, creating enemies out of us
We choose liberty, inalienable rights, freedom of assembly and speech
Learning for ourselves about all those things we came here to teach
No preaching now, we have history and destiny on our side
Such is the life, such is life – we recognize the truth we no longer need to hide 
Such is the life, the wounded child is rescued by our maturity, and by the Christ 
Now as adults united – we take every wrong of the past ... and make it right 

Sehra Did

A lovely gal doing a simple act, a good deed in a weary world. 

I went up to the president of a non-profit organization bringing my view of something that was amiss, hoping she would understand. She did not.

But Sehra did.

I went to an old friend who let me down recently, to communicate my disappointment, hoping he would understand. He did not.

But Sehra did.

I went to 100 other people over 20 years wanting their receptivity and an understanding of what transpired, but only got their defensiveness, their excuses and their denial. I was hoping they would receive my expression. They did not.

But Sehra did.  Yes Sehra did.

On one day in June, 18-year-old Sehra from Encinitas was celebrating her graduation day. My girlfriend and I were driving up the 5 Freeway and decided to stop by her mom’s house, visit a bit, give Sehra a greeting card and a hug or two. What happened was the distracted Sehra spent more time focused on the Internet rather than her visitors. Even after her mother asked her to put the Internet away and be respectful to the two in the room, Sehra continued to focus her attention on the computer screen.

Taken aback a bit, my girlfriend and I realized later how that didn't sit right with us. You know how it goes sometimes, the delayed response? Well, we wanted to say something - how that didn't feel right with us, how it felt disrespectful. Now given the history of simply trying to express a view to friends, given the history of taking communication classes that teach not to "judge," given the years of being faced with defensiveness within those we are wanting understanding, it would have been easy to give up on the situation. You know - just do what millions do across the war-torn field of misunderstandings. Just go mum, carry resentment, and slowly allow the relationship and friendship to just die away. 

But we love Sehra too much. And so we approached her - open expression, allowing our disappointment to come through.  

What hundreds have not been able to muster over years of attempted communication, Sehra was able to do. Humbly, and with the grace of a pure heart, Sehra responded ... with: 

• An "I'm so sorry"
• An "I realized what I had done after you had left"
• An "I love you guys"

Very simply, very bravely, very … innocently.

Can it be so hard to find such humility in the face of a possible conflict or confrontation of egos? Many of the adults - possibly hoping to save face or not feel toxic guilt within them - simply choose defense. In moments of accountability, when someone drops the ball, makes a mistake that impacts another, or otherwise blows it, they are asked to be big enough to own their part, offer a humble expression of regret, gift some appreciation for the other speaking up, and perhaps offer something in return to restore the good relations.

In those moments, many cannot.

But Sehra did. 

Yes, Sehra did.

                                       
Jim Ellis is a writer and filmmaker living in Lemon Grove, California.

The Other Side of the Sun

After loved ones pass away, a myriad of thoughts come along.

 

Tell me where do they go – my friends who were here with me

People tell me to let them go, let it flow, let it be

Tell me of a heaven in the skies, tell me all of those lies

I want to know where the angel of death lands and then flies

The mystery of death is a door with cracked streams of light 

The mystery of death may just reveal the mystery of life

So pull back the curtain, unveil the veil

Disclose the final scene of every fairy tale

Roll that bolder away from the secret cave

I want to know - where are Christiane, Steve, Jullya and Dave?

 

Is it the haven where angels sing a perfect tune?

The land where every sin has been undone? 

Is it the dark side of the moon?

Or ... is it the other side of the sun?

 

Tell me where do they go – the souls who used to walk and talk

And eat and drive and play, and stop and start

They would speak on the phone and then gather for dinner

And watch TV sports – consoling the loser, celebrating the winner

They would gather at parties, and have fun out on the town

They would play the roles of competitor, collaborator and class clown

They were, in the end, someone that no one could save

I want to know – where are Christiane, Steve, Jullya and Dave?

 

Is it a heaven where all have reserved a mansion room?

The kingdom where the Divine reunites with everyone? 

Is it the dark side of the moon?

Or ... is it the other side of the sun?

The other side of the sun

 

The Sun Shines

A pal was talking about how he wanted to simply have positive impact by being himself, but not be attached to who is impacted in any certain way. I was thinking how the sun shines and doesn't dictate how anyone receives its rays, as if it could say, "You over there get a tan, and you over there - receive some Vitamin D." No ... the sun just shines.

The sun shines, it shines, it’s all it ever does
The sun’s identity – all it is and all it ever was 
Remains … it remains … never restricted or restrained
Never lessoned, never censored, never detained 
No matter day or night in some other distant land
No matter what astronomers come to understand 
No matter clouds that come to block radiant rays 
No matter the history found in the ancient of days
The sun shines, it shines, though planets may make their move
There is no need to justify, no one to convince, nothing to prove
The sun shines 
 
Also not detained or restrained, there is another that remains
Right there, at your own center … your love is the same
No matter the bitter blows that arrive in this mystery shitshow
No matter the barriers and roadblocks that come and go
No matter the manipulation of mind, the raping of souls
No matter the gradual deterioration, or the moss that grows  
It is there to be known, to be expressed, not repressed 
Even if distress covers the light with a murky and muddy mess 
Your love shines, with no need to impact or impress 
But simply because at your genesis, you were blessed 
The love shines 
 
And so it is – from the beginning of eternity and beyond 
A divine union created from the one sure bond
No need for magic wand, just a magician with a miracle to bring
A path you veered from, a song you forgot to sing
But it is not ever truly lost, it cannot be
As long as you have a heart longing to be free 
As long as your soul is intact, at the center of your self 
As long as love’s warmth allows the hardened ice to melt 
As long as every lie you learned is released into mist
Making way for the light that illuminates you in eternal bliss
The sun shines 
The sun shines 

Winnie The Pooh & You

It was my wife Jennifer’s birthday, and I just had to find a way to bring in the voice of her favorite pal Winnie the Pooh. I figured I could simply channel the silly ole bear. It was helpful that when I squeeze the belly on her stuffed animal “Pooh Bear,” he speaks the line: "A very large pooh bear hug would be nice about now."

Well here we are, just me and you
Doing just what we two can do 
The gang is here in the Hundred-acre wood 
Doing the things that all of us should 
Piglet and Owl and Kanga and Roo
Eeyore and Rabbit, Christopher Robin too
All of us should simply take a bow
A very large pooh bear hug would be nice about now
 
This is from Winnie, the one known as Pooh
Doing the things that I can do
Asking questions and remembering fun 
The loving embraces, the honey run
I hope I don’t get stuck when I go for food
“Oh bother” – that is the extent of my attitude 
I just want to walk with you in the spirit of “wow”
A very large pooh bear hug would be nice about now
 
A very large pooh bear hug would be nice about now
It’s what nice people and huggy people would come to allow
They are snuggly and wuggly and all of those things
It’s what nice people and huggy people like to bring
To get one of those hugs would make me so lucky 
Soft and warm, like the happiness of a warm puppy
So let’s make a promise, let us take a vow
And do one of those large pooh bear hugs right about now
 
In the end, we shall walk and we shall talk
In silence, in pondering, in picking up rocks
We’ll make our way around all of the blocks
Going and going … until we decide to stop
Even when it’s quiet we can hear each other speak
It’s in the clouds and in the steps that we will reach
Hoping for no more ouches and no more ow’s
A very large pooh bear hug would be nice about now
A very large pooh bear hug would be nice about now 

 

I Will Start Here

Inspired by apparent soul-inspired songs like Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" and John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High," I wanted to write poem dedicated to my deepest identity beyond personalities and pre-conceived concepts. I struggled with it, but finally finished it after a week. Hope my soul is happy! 

Questions pile high, a mountain of confusion 

Drenched in mystery, a downpour of delusion

Tailwinds splinter hopes into scattered ships without aim

Until my soul’s journey is complete, I will remain

Victimized by mistakes, regrets, guilt, and shame

Tell me please … what is my name? 

Whispers of a label belonging to me 

Cupped and cradled like a trophy 

Ever since chariot guided me towards the earth plane

With only ripples of a purpose and murmurs of a name

I would start here, commencing again and again and again

With every death, another chapter to close, and one to begin 

In the middle of darkness, dodging terror, wonder and fear  

I will remain, I will remain … I will start here

 

With a veil over face, I discover every disgrace

I misplace what it means to be a member of the human race

Ego leads me onwards with pride … and I hide

Unveiling each successive obstacle and barrier … and I collide

Ramming 2 x 4s across my thick skull so that my soul will learn

I collapse to knees once more … looking skyward … I yearn

Yearn for the truth beneath egotistical will 

Yearn to overcome the desire to destroy, to overpower, to kill

Yearn to rekindle the heartbeat that has started to sink, slow 

Yearn to recall a name given to me so long ago

 

Before I made a game of herding and corralling cats and mice

Before gathering trinkets and toys, so shiny and nice

Empires with towering monuments, hailing all of my glory 

Plaques engraved with platitudes – ahhh – my success story 

A wealthy miser, I run and hug the tiny pearl in the shell

A monopoly game to lose, a name to forsake, a soul to sell 

Separation, leverage and darkness have come to stake its victory 

All the stage is clear, I’m left empty-handed, in the depth of the mystery 

Rock bottom, a pauper’s tale, what more can I do but disappear? 

No … no … I will remain, I will remain … I will start here

 

So many times around this solar system pathway of a circle  

So many races, start to finish, facing hurdle after hurdle 

I’ve been kings, queens, beggars, Robert, Walter, James 

I’ve donned multiple masks, carried countless crosses, taken numerous names

Yet in the end, as it was in the beginning, it starts with just a sound

Realizing there is nothing to have gained, and knowing there was no one to have found

All that I own, all that I gathered, all that I am … is really His

Without this game, without a name, my soul surrenders to what truly is 

In this timeless state, there is no space for the terror or the fear

I will remain, I will remain, I will sustain … I will start here

We The Founders

I had heard enough of the BS on social media about the Founding Fathers. Here are men who placed everything on the table, willing to lose it all, for the sake of the highest of principles that would serve a world to come ... for everyone. And meanwhile the brainwashers try to slam home a vision of a bunch of self-serving, selfish white men. OK, alright, enough.

We don’t yet know the freedom the Founding Fathers really meant

We haven’t really experienced the liberties the Creator truly sent 

Since 1900, we’ve been born into this fishbowl, already dirty with foul play 

The goal of the global elites – degradation, disintegration, destruction, decay  

Now sadly, we have to suffer through nincompoops broadcasting a broken prose

Not even realizing they speak from their ass, after being led by the nose

They’ve been programmed by ultra ruiners who want to destroy America and her spirit

We were founded by rich white dudes who only wanted money – all that bullshit

No, the pledge saw all humans equal, living with unalienable rights, backed by bravery 

This got turned into white supremacists who only wanted to continue slavery 

So where do we begin to remind a tired nation what was laid down before?

How do we reclaim a history that once shined from shore to shore?

 

Imperfect but wanting a more perfect union, the Founders took a sacred stand

Placing the Creator above kings, the people above government, Divinity above man

A great experiment, first of its kind, imagine how freedom could pave a path of destiny   

Citizens would experience a nation clear of government overreach and tyranny 

No more King George, and his stupid unilateral, ego-driven, wishes and whims

This was so a sovereign people could play in the marketplace, creating their own wins

Everything was set to prevent controlling monarchs from decrying overriding dictates 

No centralized station, but due process, an electoral college, armed citizens, open candidates 

The inspired Fathers knew too well of the human hubris, and the rottenness at root

They knew with a new solid foundation, the glory of the populace would surely follow suit

Those aligning in principle, including other-worldly immigrants, would establish a country strong and bold

The song of freedom would ultimately uproot the world-wide seed of slavery, no man bought and sold

For this vision, the patriots sacrificed it all - their fortunes, their sacred honor, their lives

Of 56 signers, 12 houses burned, 17 lost everything, many tormented families and wives 

Treason’s potential punishment – four horses, one tied to each limb, with a call to do what they must do

Risking your homes, all your bank accounts, your life and limb … they did this … would you?

 

Betting not, most numbskulls would rather sit on their tails and rip on the Fathers’ lives 

Regurgitating our enemies’ indoctrination, propaganda and lies

You shall hate your history – it’s all part of the insidious, inciting attack

Certain media, politicians, and globalists hope you will never truly look back 

Our history luckily had only one King George, sadly we now have plenty  

They hide like cowards, yet always making themselves bigger than country 

These demons are the ones the Founders wanted to limit and keep down 

Though sadly we see they are the ones parroted and echoed by all these clueless clowns

From the establishment of unaccountable rogue monsters – the IRS, CIA, FBI, DOJ, NSA

Milestones of mayhem chip away at our foundation – from false flags to 911 to JKF

 

For those who forgot "we the people" and those who may have skipped their civics class

For those who own this country, “we the founders,” those who would take the country back

For those who rest on the Divine Providence, rationale, logic, principle, and facts

We call upon the arising, and a grand and glorious comeback

There will be the sheep who research not but buy into the latest emotionally charged hype

The disgruntled complainers can go establish another country, using Seattle's CHAZ as a prototype

The uneducated will scoff and laugh, no clue the gifts they have inherited to defend

They will not see 1776’s magnificent monumental historic shift, in the end 

Perhaps the promise of liberty hasn’t been destroyed, though a century of corruption can certainly creep 

Benjamin Franklin once informed us we had a Republic … but only if we did what we must to keep

After all is said, this will not be a battle of liberal vs conservative or left vs right, as they’d have you believe 

It will be an opportunity to practice discernment – light vs dark, freedom vs tyranny

So choose well my friends, do your due diligence to see what is really going on

And regarding the Founding Fathers, if you can’t offer gratitude, then simply move along

They did their part, they took their pledge, they sacrificed for your success 

All so you could perhaps live in a world of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness